


A Date I'm Pretty Sure Is Wrong

by dametokillfor



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Bromance, Crack, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 09:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/672852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dametokillfor/pseuds/dametokillfor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon wasn't 'pretty sure' Alaric’s headstone was wrong. He was 110% certain it was wrong. He'd known it the second the headstone had been unveiled, but he'd kept it to himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Date I'm Pretty Sure Is Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> Because somehow most of fandom - including me - forgot Alaric's 'wrong' birthday. This is for everyone who remembered.

Damon discovered it by accident.

By which, he means he discovered it by snooping in Ric's wallet one night. He had been looking for some cash to pay the pizza guy, the son of a council member, so probably exposed to vervain somehow, and he'd happened across Ric's licence. So, he wasn't looking for it _specifically_. Ergo, accident.

He isn't sure how much he'd overpaid the kid, had thrust a fist of bills into his hand, then shut the door on him, all while staring at the licence.

The sound of a flushing toilet knocked Damon out of his stupor and he quickly slid it back, throwing the wallet on the side as Ric came out of the bathroom. Ric slumped back on the ratty couch and reached for the drink that he'd left on the floor.

His hand closed around air and he frowned in confusion before looking up to see Damon. The vampire was stood with Ric’s glass in one hand, near empty bottle of the best bourbon Ric could afford in the other. 

"Funny." Ric said, gesturing to Damon to give the tumbler back.

"I don't think you should be drinking this." Damon told him, knocking the drink back himself, "Don't you have some juice around here? Some soda?"

"What are you talking about?" Ric asked, "I've only had a few..."

"And at your age, you shouldn't be having any." Damon replied.

"Oh God."

"What kind of friend would I be if I let you become an alcoholic at the age of 8?"

"I'm 33, Damon."

"No, you were born on the 29th of February 1976. You're 8."

"And you're an asshole. How did you even... Have you been going through my things?"

"The pizza guy needed paying."

"You said it was on you."

"And he's the son of a council member, can't remember which one. I think it's the woman who always looks at you like you’re lunch. Anyway, he's probably dosed up on vervain and I don't carry cash."

Ric rolled his eyes, pushed himself to his feet and reached for the bottle in Damon's hand. Damon pulled it out of his reach, switched hands, the tumbler was thrown to the couch.

"I can't in good conscience get a minor drunk." Damon told him, turning his head and taking a long draught from the bottle. He watched Ric the entire time.

Ric had that look on his face. Damon’s favourite look, the whole ‘the only reason I’m not staking you right now is because you have the best liquor’ look.

Damon waggled the bottle in his face, “We should get this out of your way, get this place childproofed.”

“Childproofed?” Ric reached for the bottle again. Damon stepped back out of his reach again.

“It would be irresponsible of me to leave you in such a dangerous apartment.” Damon told him.

“And you’re all about responsibility.” Ric teased.

“You wound me, Ric.” Damon told him.

Ric made a final grab for the bottle, a heavy boot to Damon’s foot holding him in place – though Ric had known Damon would have been able to pull away if he’d wanted to. He snatched the bottle from Damon’s hand, finished what had been left and threw it aside.

“You know what?” Damon said, “I’m trying a different tact.”

“Oh God.”

“You think you’re a big man, think you’re so grown up.” Damon started, pulling his foot from under Ric’s. He poked Ric in the chest.

“You are going to sit with me and drink every bottle in this apartment, mister.”

Ric opened his mouth to protest, before realising it was futile. He sighed heavily.

“Well, if it’s the only way I’m going to learn.”

-x-

**2016.**

Damon wasn't 'pretty sure' Alaric’s headstone was wrong. He was 110% certain it was wrong. He'd known it the second the headstone had been unveiled, but he'd kept it to himself. Why should he tell Elena, tell Jeremy? They should have known. All their insistence that Ric was family, was their rock, their friend, they couldn't even get his damn birthday right. 

Damon pulled himself together. This wasn't about them..

“You’d have been 9 today, buddy.” Damon told the stone, “Should have been telling you all about the birds and the bees and how noticing just how hot I am is perfectly natural.”

“And I’d probably have staked you in the lung.”

Damon smiles to himself.

“Happy birthday, Ric.”

**Author's Note:**

> _February 29 is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the Earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days._
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper". Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only._


End file.
